We’re so excited to announce the official I ❤️ YA/NA Scavenger Hunt, sponsored by the authors of the Cursed Lands Boxed Set, a limited edition Young Adult and New Adult Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, and Dystopian Collection!

This massive scavenger hunt will be your chance to meet some new young adult, new adult and simply awesome authors, grab a bunch of free books, and sign up to win a bunch of epic prizes! In addition to a $100 grand prize, many of the authors will be offering free books and other prizes!

HOW TO PLAY
Each author will be given a special keyword, which will be bolded and all caps like this: CURSED.
All you have to do is visit all the author’s sites in the correct order HERE, write down the special keywords in their blog post to discover the short story, then enter the giveaway with the completed secret story on the Cursed Lands website.
There will be one main giveaway for the Grand Prize, but most of the participating authors will also have smaller giveaways for free books, gift cards, or author swag, so make sure you read their post carefully to see what else they’re offering while you’re on their site for the keyword!

TIMELINE
Participating authors will have their post up with their secret keyword, giveaway, and behind the scenes info, excerpt, about their Cursed Lands story by February 1! Readers just need to go through the list, find the words, and use the story to enter for the grand prize. The last day to complete the hunt and enter to win the Grand Prize is February 14!

ARE YOU READY TO PLAY?

Read the EXCERPT below from ICEHAVEN by Kim Cresswell and M.K. Chester. Icehaven is included in the CURSED LANDS Boxed Set. Find the secret word in CAPS and BOLDED. Write it down and string it together with the words from all the other hunt stops to win the grand prize $100 Amazon Gift card!

1. ICEHAVEN EXCERPT

August frowned at the cause of her stress. She wasn’t ever surprised by her brother’s tardiness. He was always late, an eighteen-year-old who had an excuse for everything. All he had to do was pick up their younger sister from school and show up on time for their father’s shining moment. Just be on time for ONCE. Do what was expected. One time.

“I’ll call him.” August snatched her phone out of the back pocket of her jeans and hit speed dial. He finally answered on the fourth ring, right before voicemail kicked in. “Where are you? You’re late.”

“Chloe was poky leaving class.”

August rolled her eyes, knowing her brother had been up all-night playing video games with his friends. She’d bet her Yale tuition he’d been sleeping and hadn’t gotten up in time. “Hurry up, Dad’s asking for you.”

“I’m pulling into the university parking lot. Wow, there’s a ton of people here. I didn’t know this was such a big deal.”

She checked her watch again. Five minutes. “You’ve known your whole life how important this is to him.”

“I’ll be there in two minutes.”

August ended the call and forced a smile for her father. “They’ll be here soon.”

He nodded and put his arm around her shoulder. “I don’t want them to miss it. This will be a story you’ll tell your own children one day.”

She smiled, imagining a future where the climate wasn’t the dominant issue of the day. Her father hadn’t been this happy in a long time. Five years almost to the day her mother had passed away. He deserved some happiness.

While the auditorium filled to standing room only with faculty, students and media, excitement buzzed in the air. Her father really was about to make history, his experiment, his hard work bringing them to this moment. She took a seat in the front row beside him and looked up at the screen. A low hum caught her attention. Unsure where the sound was coming from, she glanced over her shoulder, searching for her brother and sister, disappointed for her father that Luke was probably going to be too late. The humming grew louder. August covered her ears, the high-pitched deafening sound too much.

From Christmas jumpers to putting out cookies and milk for Santa, we all have Christmas traditions that have been passed down through the generations. But my favorite tradition of all is Iceland’s “Yule book flood”, or Jólabókaflóð.

Originating in World War II when imports to the country were restricted, Iceland’s bookish tradition involves exchanging books on Christmas eve and then spending the rest of the evening reading.

Could there be a more perfect holiday tradition?

In fact, Iceland could well lay claim to being the most book-loving nation on earth. A study found it to be the world’s third most literate nation (behind Finland and Norway – perhaps the cold dark winters have something to do with Scandinavian countries dominating the top five spots) and more than one in ten Icelanders will publish a book.

It’s certainly a country to inspire writers, with its vast ice caps, black volcanic beaches, bubbling mud pits, and a wealth of Norse mythology. Iceland has a long history of storytelling, stretching back to the famous Icelandic sagas; tales of Icelandic families whose ancestors migrated to Iceland from other northern European countries. Before the days of print or even handwritten books, these stories were passed down orally and many have been lost to time.

Whether historic sagas are your cup of tea or you prefer a lighter read, the tradition of giving books at Christmas is one any book lover can embrace. Not only can you share your favorite books with others, you’ll also receive plenty of new books to see you through the dark January days.

Here are a few ideas to start your own family holiday tradition:

Personal recommendation – buy the books which have given you the most enjoyment over the past year and match them to your loved ones’ tastes.

A blind date with a book – wrap your chosen books in brown paper, write a clue as to the genre or style of book on the outside and let people pick their own read.

Bookstore gift card – Not sure what book to buy for your fussy Aunt Mildred? A gift card for a local bookstore means she gets to pick exactly what she wants.

Gift an eBook – if you’re doing your Christmas shopping with just a few hours to go, it’s never too late to gift an eBook. If you live in the U.S., you can gift a specific eBook on Amazon and Nook, or you can buy a general gift card which can be redeemed against books of a recipient’s choice.

And in the spirit of gifting, I’ve got a free bookish gift for you this week. The Cursed Lands authors are giving away a special bonus pack of 15 eBooks to everyone who pre-orders the boxed set on iTunes, Nook or Kobo for 99c.

Even if you don’t have an e-reader, the Nook app can be downloaded on any smartphone, tablet or computer.

Anyone who knows me, knows I love book teasers and trailers. I think they are a creative way of visually letting readers know more about your work. With that said, here is the exciting teaser for the Cursed Lands Boxed Set. I’m really excited about this one.
I hope you are too!

Download the first 3 chapters of ICEHAVEN for Free (until Dec. 31), included in the Cursed Lands collection of 22 Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy and Dystopian books.Get the Free ICEHAVEN Preview

This blog is the place where I post reviews of the books I have read. I review audiobooks, regular books and eBooks for authors and publishers as well as any other book or audiobook that catches my eye.